College football: MC Pioneers at B-W Saturday

October 26, 2012

After a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Wilmington on a last second field goal last week, the Marietta College football team will look to rebound against Baldwin Wallace in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup.

Baldwin Wallace (6-1, 5-1) is coming off a 39-16 victory over Capital and has not lost since week four to Otterbein.

Marietta (0-7, 0-6) has shown flashes of brilliance at times this season, but has been unable to maintain that brilliance for an entire game. Pioneer head coach Jeff Filkovski knows that if his team can be consistent for four quarters, they are capable of great things.

"We've got to come ready to play," Filkovski said. "We have to take care of ourselves, because they're gonna handle their business. I still believe we're a good football team. I look at the film and I see a lot of good. We just have to put it all together for a whole game."

As far as the Yellow Jackets go, Filkovski knows they present a big challenge.

"They're a solid football team," Filkovski lamented. "They do things well. We've got to find holes defensively, and offensively, try to get the ball in our playmakers' hands."

Marietta's biggest playmakers are receivers Kirby Harris and Tannon Roberts. The tandem continues to be one of the most productive in the conference.

Harris has 40 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns, while Roberts has accumulated 423 yards on 28 catches, two for scores.

Getting the ball to those two has been quarterback Tom Fulton. Fulton has passed for 1,543 yards and 11 touchdowns.

For the John Snell-led Yellow Jackets, Ryan O'Rourke will take center snaps. O'Rourke has passed for 1,185 yards and 13 touchdowns. O'Rourke's top target has been Josiah Holt, who has caught 32 balls this season for 551 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Baldwin Wallace is led by the duo of Tyler Lohr and Sebastian Zuluaga. The two have combined for 137 carries and 599 yards, a 4.4 yards per carry average.

Football often comes down to Xs and Os, but in this case, it could come down to the attitude of the players.

"We have to get off the bus confident," Filkovski said. "Certainly the mojo of our team has to be to believe. We've got good senior leadership and we've got older guys who want to get this thing done. Like I said, we just have to put it all together for four quarters."